Compact 1911 in 9mm
The smaller & lighter the weapon, the greater the perceived recoil. Given that, I think I'd go 9mm in a small auto for CCW for a new(er) or small(er) shooter. I own some seriously small CCWs in .357mag, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. NONE are appropriate for new(er) shooters other than the 9mm.
* Taurus 651 Total Ti snubby .357mag
* Kel-tec P40 .40S&W
* AMT DAO Backup .45ACP
* Springfield Armory Ultra Compact (1911) 9mm (actually, my wife's)
My wife was a new shooter when we met, but took to the 1911 platform like a duck to water. All other platforms had issues. At 5', > 100lbs, she has small hands and little mass to soak up recoil. The 9mm round allows here to carry her favored platform (1911) in a small enough for CCW package.
STI also produces a compact 1911-style pistol in 9mm:
http://www.stiguns.com/guns/ls/ls.html
This guy has an auction on one:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=47068472
The smaller & lighter the weapon, the greater the perceived recoil. Given that, I think I'd go 9mm in a small auto for CCW for a new(er) or small(er) shooter. I own some seriously small CCWs in .357mag, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. NONE are appropriate for new(er) shooters other than the 9mm.
* Taurus 651 Total Ti snubby .357mag
* Kel-tec P40 .40S&W
* AMT DAO Backup .45ACP
* Springfield Armory Ultra Compact (1911) 9mm (actually, my wife's)
My wife was a new shooter when we met, but took to the 1911 platform like a duck to water. All other platforms had issues. At 5', > 100lbs, she has small hands and little mass to soak up recoil. The 9mm round allows here to carry her favored platform (1911) in a small enough for CCW package.
STI also produces a compact 1911-style pistol in 9mm:
http://www.stiguns.com/guns/ls/ls.html
This guy has an auction on one:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=47068472